The Employment, Advancement and Retention Network (EARN) Program was created in 1987 in order to address the needs of welfare recipients with barriers to employment and to better coordinate the existing employment and training programs available for them. EARN is currently operating in all 67 Pennsylvania Counties.
The purpose of EARN is to address the needs of welfare and low income individuals with serious barriers to gaining and maintaining employment by providing comprehensive case management, remediation, education with special emphasis on individuals with limited English proficiency, skills training, work activities, job placement and retention activities, as well as providing supportive services, including payment for childcare. Included in EARN are services especially designed to meet the needs of out-of-school pregnant and parenting youth between the ages of 18 to 22, as well as non-assistance custodial or non-custodial fathers. Work activities in EARN include unsubsidized employment, subsidized employment, paid work experience, and community service.
The EARN program unites the services of local Workforce Investment Area (WIA) staff, Bureau of Workforce Development Partnership (BWDP) representatives, educational institutions, and County Assistance Office (CAO) staff. The Department of Human Services provides funding to the Department of Labor and Industry through a Memorandum of Understanding. The Department of Labor and Industry contracts with the WIA fiscal agents who arrange for services in accordance with program rules. A Local Management Committee (LMC) jointly manages EARN at the local level. The LMC is comprised of representatives from each of the above agencies and an economic development representative. Direct Service Teams comprised of CAO, BWDP, and WIA staff provides the primary intervention for all EARN participants.
Enrollment for the program is done through the local County Assistance Office.
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